Arkansas Governor, Mayor & Chief of Police of The City of Little Rock: Find JUSTICE for DEREK OLIVIER & Implement a NEW ANTI-VIOLENCE PROGRAM

Proud parents send their children off to college every year but NO parent expects death to bring their child back home, forever.

On September 27th, 19-year-old Derek Olivier was killed in Little Rock, Arkansas two days shy of his birthday. He was a first year freshman student at Arkansas Baptist College; it was his first time away from home by means of a football scholarship. He lost his life aiding a teammate in need of changing a flat tire near school campus streets.

This entire crime was captured on a surveillance video however no arrest has been made. A unknown male assailant walked into the college campus as Derek and two other students were changing the flat tire and the assailant open fire.... allegedly no one knows why....

This petition is a request for the Chief of Police, the Mayor and the Governor to look further into the investigation of Derek Olivier's death. The petition is also to appeal The City of Little Rock to implement a new anti-violence program called “The D.O. Campaign” in honor of Derek.

The cold blooded murder of a young black college student, shot and killed by an unknown black gunman cannot be ignored. This was not just another black-on-black crime; it was a senseless crime against an admired, well respected and impressionable young man, Derek Olivier.

I hope this public appeal grants The City Little Rock Officials to begin a grassroots movement to reassure parents of students, the citizens of the surrounding community, friends and family of Derek, as well as Arkansas Baptist College that Little Rock is not in denial of the dilemma on hand.

May we swiftly find resolve for the family of Derek Olivier.... Pray for his family, Derek lost his life perhaps to save many others!

As you are aware, on September 27th, 19-year-old Derek Olivier was killed on 16th & Bishop Street in The City of Little Rock. He was a first year freshman at Arkansas Baptist College; it was his first time away from home by means of a football scholarship. He lost his life in a violent manner. He was ambushed by a gunman on foot, while changing a flat tire on a teammate’s car. Of the three teammates present, only Derek lost his life.

In the wake of this tragedy, the family found comfort in the overwhelming number of people from all over the U.S. who offered condolences because they were touched in some way by Derek, personally. Citizens and communities from near and far are still puzzled about his fate in the City of Little Rock. There are still unanswered questions… Why? How? Who? Today marks 50 days since Derek’s death, there seems to be no progress in identifying his killer, no arrest and no justice. In addition, to my knowledge, there are no NEW policies or procedures in place in the City of Little Rock, or on campus to help prevent future crimes of this nature. Family and friends of Derek Olivier are certain his life was a vessel to shed light on a problem that is prevalent not only in the City of Little Rock, Arkansas, but in every city throughout the country.

As a result, I am requesting for you to please look further into the investigation of Derek's death. This appeal is for The City of Little Rock to intensely examine the cold blooded murder of Derek Olivier, a young black college student, shot and killed by a black gunman. Derek was NOT a gang member, so this particular black-on-black crime was NOT the end result of a personal retaliation intended for Derek. We all know Derek was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it does not change the fact that he is gone, forever. I am sure the current investigators have worked diligently on the case, but I believe someone knows exactly who the killer is and whom the bullets were really intended to kill. Secondly, my appeal is for The City of Little Rock to implement a new anti-violence operation named, “The D.O. Campaign” to resolve this phenomenon.

David Kennedy is a famous criminologist who authored a book called “Don’t Shoot: One Man, a Street Fellowship, and The End of Violence in Inner City America”. Kennedy’s campaign has been tested in over 70 inner city communities revolutionizing crime control in black communities, successfully. Mr. Kennedy’s program is not specifically a pet project of one department. He advises “these programs are worth making a city priority, a police department priority, a public management priority” as a means to end the violence, change the perception and to restore advanced levels of peace in these black communities. You can listen to a 31 minute interview of David Kennedy at http://www.wbur.org/npr/164732917/interrupting-violence-with-the-message-dont-shoot or by a Google search, David Kennedy Don’t Shoot.

Nonetheless, this appeal is not only to seek justice on Derek’s behalf, it is also to serve as an appeal to aide in crime prevention within the City of Little Rock as well as the broader African American community. Derek Olivier lost his life in Little Rock only to convert LIVES in Little Rock, forever! He lost his life to save thousands of other families from the tragedy of losing a young son. This D.O. operation can serve as a pledge from your office to students, as well as to the campus and to all citizens of Little Rock that the city cares about its’ communities. Most importantly, The D.O. Campaign will first, send the message to Derek’s family that he has not been forgotten by The City of Little Rock. It will also endorse that black-on-black crimes will not be overlooked in The City of Little Rock. Finally, it will reverently set a comprehensive and calculated solution for The City of Little Rock to implement based on the work of Mr. David Kennedy’s experience. I have no doubt The D.O. Campaign will make the City of Little Rock a safer place to live, work and study!

Respectfully,

Tera Boutte Pearson

“The good news about the drug- and gang-related violence epidemic is that it can be controlled and substantially reduced. As proof, you only have to read David Kennedy’s wonderful new book Don’t Shoot… Now being tried in over 70 communities, David’s campaign is expanding to have the national and international impact it deserves.”

—Bill Bratton, chairman of Kroll, former chief of police of the Los Angeles Police Department